Eric Bossi of 247Sports spoke to 2024 five-star Miami basketball signee Jalil Bethea about his McDonald's All-America game week experience, the Hurricanes' roster, including playing with Nijel Pack and helping lead Jim Larranaga back to the NCAA Tournament.
Bethea is the first McDonald's All-American to sign with Miami since Lonnie Walker IV in 2017. Bethea is the seventh-ranked prospect, third shooting guard and top player in Pennsylvania in the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Miami signed the 12th-ranked 2024 class overall.
Four-star shooting guard Austin Swartz and three-star small forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu are the other 2024 Miami signees. Bethea and Pack are projected to be the starting backcourt for Miami next season. The Miami roster is evolving, with guards Kyshawn George and Wooga Poplar and forwards Matthew Cleveland and Norchad Omier making decisions about their future.
Bethea has received positive reports this week during McDonald's All-America practice in Houston. The McDonald's All-American Game will tipoff at 9 PM Eastern Time on ESPN2. Bethea is the only player from Pennsylvania in the game and will wear number one for the East team.
Jalil Bethea wins the 2024 Powerade Jamfest Dunk Contest with this INSANE dunk 🤯 @McDAAG pic.twitter.com/O5WHiNBn3B
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 2, 2024
"On his game week experience: "I feel like this is a thing that you dream of as a kid. Just coming from a small background it's a great accolade to have on my career."Miami basketball signee Jaili Bethea
On the Miami roster next season: "I have actually been looking at that. Seeing Nijel was come back and I actually looked at Lynn Kidd's highlights and stuff and it's actually a big thing. I don't think it is going to really matter that Nijel is coming back because me and him talked about it while we were up there and I feel like our relationship won't get in the way of us playing together. We should be good."
On helping Miami get back to the NCAA Tournament: "I feel like whatever Coach L puts me in a position to do then I feel like I will do whatever I can do to achieve what we got to do to win.""
The scouting report from Adam Finkelstein, the 247Sports Director of Scouting, says that Bethea is "one of the best scoring guards and shot-makers in the country this year... He’s a shooter who can make tough threes, both on the move and off the dribble. He plays the game with an edge and only needs to consistently harness it in the right way while he continues to build up his body."
Miami had too many long-scoring droughts during the 2023-24 season. Bethea should help remedy that in 2024-25 with the ability to get his own shot. Listed at 6'4 and 170 pounds, Bethea provides Miami with good size in the backcourt. Miami was too often on the smaller size last year with Pack and Bensley Joseph.
Swartz is 6'4 and 180 pounds. Bethea and Swartz will balance out Pack, who is listed at 6'0. Bethea is projected to be a one-and-done for Miami. How well Bethea performs as a freshman will determine his draft status in 2025 and if he stays one season at Miami. Bethea is projected as a 2025 NBA lottery pick.